On Tuesday, November 13th, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) announced the 2012 SIAC All-Conference Football Team. With a total of 13 honors, nine different Wildcats from Fort Valley State University (FVSU) received All-Conference recognition.

Junior linebacker Leron Furr's super effort during the season earned him a superlative from the SIAC Football Coaches Association which named him Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Sharing the honor with Clark Atlanta University's Vanchard Goodridge, Furr led the nation (NCAA Division II) with 26.5 tackles for losses and he led the Wildcats with 100 tackles; 5.5 sacks and two interceptions. In addition to being named Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Furr was also named to the First Team All-SIAC Defensive Squad.

Joining Furr on the First Team All-Conference Defensive Team were teammates Bernard Little, Dajuan Williams, and Justin Rosenbaum. From his nose guard position Little, a sophomore from Eatonton, GA, finished the season with 31 tackles, 11 tackles for losses totaling 29 yards, two quarterback sacks, one pass break up, and one blocked kick.

As the season progressed, there was little doubt among the conference coaches that FVSU free safety Dajuan Williams would be named to the First Team All-SIAC Defensive Unit. During the season the senior from Baxley, GA returned three of his six interceptions for touchdowns. Williams also wrapped up his final regular season campaign with 39 tackles; 7.5 tackles for losses; eight pass break ups; 14 passes defended; and two blocked kicks.

It was also a day of double honors for FVSU punter/placekicker Justin Rosenbaum. The senior from Owosso, MI was named to the First Team All-SIAC Defensive and Offensive Units. The defensive recognition was for his efforts as a punter and kicker. Rosenbaum, the punter, finished the regular season ranked 5th in the nation. On 58 punts totaling 2,567 yards, he averaged 44.3 yards per punt. His longest punt of the season was 66 yards and had 22 punts that were over 50 yards each. Only eight of his punts were touchbacks; four were fair caught; and only one was blocked.

He did just as well on kickoffs for the Wildcats. On 56 kicks, he amassed 3,522 yards for an average kick of 62.9 yards. Only one of his kickoffs was out of bounds.

On offense, Rosenbaum led the Wildcats in scoring with a total of 57 points. He made nine out of 17 field goal attempts and made 30 out of 31 extra point attempts. Rosenbaum was named SIAC Player of the Week four times during the course of the season.

One of the main reasons the Wildcat offense finished ranked third in the SIAC in scoring offense was the play of offensive lineman David Garbo. The senior center from Quitman, GA was named to the First Team All-Conference Offensive Team for anchoring an offensive line which enabled FVSU to average 29 points and 358 yards per game. Grabo was named SIAC Player of the Week once during the regular season.

The two players who were responsible for a significant portion of the FVSU scoring attack were senior quarterback Antonio Henton and senior wide receiver Christopher Slaughter. Both were named to the First Team All-SIAC Offensive Squad. For the season Henton completed 174 out of 352 pass attempts (49%) and threw for 2,362 yards. He averaged 215 yards in passing per game and tossed a total of 19 touchdowns during the season. His longest completion was an 80 yard touchdown pass.

That 80 yard touchdown pass was to his favorite receiving target; Christopher Slaughter. In fact, the Fort Valley, GA duo hooked up on 46 other occasions during the season. That's one reason that Slaughter received dual All-SIAC honors. He was named First-Team All-SIAC Offensive Team for his conference leading performance in total receiving yards. On 47 receptions this year, Slaughter finished with 995 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 4.3 receptions per game; 21.2 yards per catch; and 90.5 yards per game.

The second reason that Slaughter is receiving post-season conference honors is for his performance as a punt returner. On 13 punt returns this season, Slaughter had 122 yards with an average of 9.4 yards per return. Slaughter was named to the First-Team All-SIAC Team as a punt return specialist.

Joining fellow Fort Valley, GA natives Henton and Slaughter on the All-SIAC Team is running back and kick return specialist Travis Richmond. The sophomore was named to the Second Team All-SIAC Squad as a kick returner. On 21 returns Richmond gained 419 yards. His longest return was 39 yards and he averaged 20 yards per return.

The final category of All-SIAC selections is arguably the most important. The 2012 SIAC Football All-Academic Team includes two players from FVSU. In addition to his selection to the First-Team All-SIAC Defensive Team, Bernard Little was also named to the All-Academic Team. Little, a health and physical education major, maintains a 3.83 grade point average. FVSU's Quin Adams joins Little on the All-Academic Team. Adams is a sophomore defensive back from Atlanta, GA majoring in middle grades education with a grade point average of 3.71.